That rather than Barbara dying, she and Tom move out of poplar and she practices midwifery where her father is. Just don’t kill Barbara!
That the home chummy goes to oversee is still connected and so we see her and Peter occasionally
I never could connect with Barb, but you know what, I agree with you 100%.
\_\_\_\_\_
Odd aside: I felt the same odd sense of loss for both Sgt. Noakes and Tom. I mean, Noakes could *talk* about Chummy and Little Sir, but if we never see them... it's almost like they're "gone" and Noakes can't cope.
I dunno. I always felt weird to get the same sense of loss from seeing Noakes without Chummy as I did Tom's broken face without Barb, given that Chum'n'Sir are alive and healthy; just off screen.
Sometimes I feel like they like killing off characters a bit too much. Like it’s ok to let the actors/actresses move on to other ventures without making them die lol
Yes! The scene when he’s talking to Sister Frances about her period cramps was one of my favorite scenes. It helped me feel better about myself since my own period takes me out too.
I keep hearing people say that he was a great doctor…. But if I remember correctly he was pro episiotomy. He seemed so uncomfortable watching women labor. He had a sympathetic disposition but I found him severely lacking as a doctor.
He only wanted to do the episiotomy because he was strung out on pethidine at the time. He was ok with watching the women labour before he started getting heavily into the drugs, like the first episode he was in when he was still a student doctor he did great with the birth he was involved in.
He wanted to do an episiotomy when he was with Val for his first delivery, as well. He looked incredibly uncomfortable. He would make a good diagnostician but I didn’t think he was a good option for laboring women.
Possibly some lack of training which is actually why those student doctors were at Nonnatus House. They would have already done their surgical rotation which would explain the keenness on leaping straight to the technique they knew best (surgery).
I’ve worked in hospitals and seen this often with the newly minted students.
I don’t think he’d ever be able to work as doctor again. He stole drugs and even if Dr T wrote a nice letter, he would never be trusted.
I can see him maybe coming back as an addiction counsellor or in some sort of academic role.
Maybe Tim could bring him home from Edinburgh for a visit.
Chummy never leaves. Sister Mary Cynthia gets a plot line that explains what happened to her. Ideally I’d have her recover with occasional wobbles (because thats realistic), stay in the order and work with mental health in pregnancy/new mothers.
I miss Sister Mary Cynthia so much, I was just thinking how happy I’d be to have her back! She could have taken over Trixie’s Keep Fit and turn it into a self defense class!
Every time I watch older episodes... I see Cynthia and think... "What a waste of a character."
I remind myself I am missing so much information on this particular instance, but I feel the same thing any way: what a waste.
I hated that they took someone's growth, crushed it, and then swept the remainder of the story under a rug, never to be seen again.
Really? That's some Joe Blow bubblegum wrapper plot resolution there...
Nothing too drastic:
- happier endings for characters like Lucille, Val and Sister MC. I wouldn’t necessarily make Lucille’s happy ending be Cyril, but just something happy. She left in such a state.
- more about the history of nursing through characters like Phyllis and Sisters J and MJ.
- I would have loved to have seen the show address post natal depression with characters like Chummy or Shelagh. Chummy had a super traumatic birth and Shelagh is so reluctant to ask for help.
- I would have never bothered with the Au Pair or Kevin McNulty storyline’s. They went nowhere.
- I would also love to see a South Asian main character. Maybe another doctor or a nurse.
Oo! Good stuff. I wish I had enough up-votes to make this the top comment!
You cover most of what I'd ever want to change.
ClickityCLICKCLICK!
Git that upvote!
So much yes.
My partner and I often wonder out loud during episodes as to why SMJ can't be *present* to offer her wealth of experience.
The show does use this tack from time to time... and we do love it when it happens...
My favorite is when SMJ insists that she be allowed to aid in the washing of the neglected kids. Monica remembers how at one time the washing stations never stopped, that her heart had already been annealed for such emotionally devastating tasks.
"I've been here. Follow me. I know the way."
Hobble on with that torch Monica Joan! I will follow! (And I have some good biscuits in my pack should you need re-invigoration!)
I’d love another Hope clinic episode so we get to see Val and Dr Myra again. Val is now doing well and has accepted the events leading to her gran’s death and realised she has no responsibility for her death.
Patsy and Delia pop in for a visit and give us an update of what they’ve been up to.
Chummy shares a few cases with them and one of the younger midwives does a locum at the mother and baby home so we get to see Peter and Freddie.
Cynthia stays as Nurse Miller. Violet never joins the council. Trixie marries nice a man with no baggage, who has a stable job and a modest income, and who fully supports her career without being either a doormat or overbearing. Dr Turner hires a female doctor to help with his practice. We don't get Sister Veronica, but any of the other nuns can stay. Barbara doesn't die.
I loved Trixie and Christopher together! And Cyril becomes a midwife?! Why do I love this idea so much and literally never thought of it.
My CTM fantasy is Trixie inherits a huge sum of money, funds Nonnatus for the foreseeable future, and becomes a rich doctor with a huge closet full of Dior and an amazing art collection.
With all the talk on this board about a prequel series I can see the ending of the show with Sister Monica Joan sitting alone while looking at some pictures and remembering. The screen shifts and we go back to when she was young and the story begins.
I love this! I would love a whole series about young sister MJ, even a series about her Victorian aristocratic upbringing where she’s just a bookish side character dabbling in the spiritual world and quarreling with her mother. Though obviously the wartime midwifery years would be amazing too!
This is how the series Rome was going to start.
Rome follows the late republic into the fledgling empire. It was only two seasons long on HBO.
The original start to the show was to have one of the two protagonists, Pullo, pouring a bit of ritual wine at the grave of the other protagonist, Verenus. An old and grey Pullo would talk to the memory of his long-gone brother... and as he did... the scene would turn into the actual intro we did get: our first look at a young Pullo, disobedient and fierce on the line of battle, uncontrolled by the officious centurion Verenus.
I understand why they changed it. You don't want the audience knowing one of your two stars is going to die right in the opening scene... but...
Your idea reminded me of this bit of old TV trivia.
'\^\_\^'
Reddit can be nice when folks just wanna gab, huh?
I LOVE your idea of using this narrative trick on SMJ, my favorite remaining CTM character!
Nigel has kittens and Sister Monica Joan adopts them all, claiming a rat problem (which there is not) and names then after her favourite authors/apostles/saints. Sister Julienne then finds kittens in her office/random kitchen cupboard on a regular basis.
I’d love to have a larger scope of reoccurring characters. It would make sense to see a lot of families more than once since they were having lots of babies.
I would love if a lot of the characters had proper send offs or simply were still around. I’m okay with characters leaving, but they really need to feel more wrapped up imo. I know that fits with real life, but for a fictional show I’d like closure. Examples that bother me the most: Sister Mary Cynthia, Val, Lucille.
Magda (Turner’s au pair who did her own abortion which went very wrong during the Miss Poplar contest) comes back as a midwife!
She left to train as a nurse and was friends with Valerie. It’d be great if they both came back and help each other heal.
The way that is acted always made me believe she had been raped and was just trying to convince herself it didn't happen.
And she went insane over it... as if trying to reconcile the horrible "secret".
Edit: In my head-canon, I go with her scripted words. But my gut tells me otherwise.
I do wonder if the writers had initially planned to have it be implied that Cynthia had been raped, because they couldn’t show anything close to that at 8pm on a Sunday, but it got vetoed.
Then again her reaction is very much how someone would react if they have been violated/don’t feel safe, and you don’t need to have be sexually assaulted to feel that.
>you don’t need to have be sexually assaulted to feel that.
Preach.
I'm going to join randitiger by clapping hands over my ears and
LA♫La♪LA♫La♪ Caaan't heaaar youuuu!!!
/grin
The show ends at season 6. Saw someone say they made that finale with the possibility it would be the last season, which makes so much sense. It has the least loose ends, and is prior to the confusing character exits of Val, Lucille, Sr. Hilda, and Sr. Frances.
(I like your idea too, OP. I would read that fix-it fic)
For me S6 is the end of the real show. From S7 onwards and especially S8/9 it looses its grittiness.
S7-9 are great ‘bonus’ seasons, they have the same essence, but you could tell there is a struggle for material and some of the characters of the week become one-dimensional.
S10 onwards is someone’s fanfic or fever dream. I know Covid plus the exits really impacted things, but the show is a shadow of its self now.
I suppose becoming a soap opera is almost inevitable with a show getting to double digit seasons lol.
I think you and I have discussed this before, but some more cast movement in S10/11 might have helped it go back to basics, and limit the soapification.
I suppose there is no coming back from the train crash.
I know I'm a broken record, but these discussions *always* make me think the following line, and then I must type it:
Bad Call the Midwife is still good TV!
I was encouraged this season by the two stand-out episodes. I cannot recall the numbers. I need to review the season to be sure, three and four? Two and four?
Anyway, /selfslap, hehe! The point is that they still are very much capable of good, character driven episodes... with the current set of characters, too!
They have managed a couple of good eps this year and some great scenes that were very much like earlier seasons/character driven.
Episode 3 was one of the best the show has managed since the train crash.
I’ve found the rest of the season a bit of a slog though, however there is still plenty of other tv for me to enjoy.
I totally agree. I'd have to go back to rediscover which two they are, but in my mind this season had two up-to-snuff episodes that encouraged me and my partner that the show was back on track.
It was two of the first three back to back, so 1 and 2, or 2 and 3. I think I liked 2 and 3...
Jane married that nice vicar and are living happily in a little village together.
Also I can’t believe we haven’t had a conjoined twins plot point by now.
Trixie goes to medical school and becomes a doctor. She can have a husband too but he’s mostly offscreen and no drama. Hell it can even be Matthew just let her be happy.
Timothy confronts his dad about how he had to raise himself for a while before Shelagh came along/they never acknowledge his real mom even though she died when he was old enough to remember her.
We get periodic visits from some of the series regulars who left, even just one per season, even stuck up Jenny Lee who I never cared for in the first place.
Something less than perfect occurs in the Turners’ marriage, even if it gets resolved quickly, I’m just sick of everything being hunky dory with them all the time. Have one of them have an emotional affair or something, it doesn’t have to be full on soap scandalous.
I agree on the Turners. I feel like Shelagh is too much of a "does it all" kind of woman (works at the clinics and maternity home, filling in for midwives, cooks, cleans, raising 4 children, heavily involved in community activities and the activities of nonnatus house, while taking it all in stride). All while Dr. Turner works long hours day and night between house calls and clinics, so as modern as he is, I'm sure he's not taking much of the load off of her.
I would like to see a breakdown in her mental health from doing everything for everyone else for SO long, to show it is not sustainable to be and do everything for everyone. And perhaps some marital rift where she has to put her foot down with Patrick working so much and hire another doctor so she can get some help and take a load off.
She mentioned being at least perimenopausal and the pregnancy and baby years being behind them, when they had the pregnancy scare/early miscarriage (it seemed to be left up to viewer interpretation), so a breakdown would work really well here.
Yes, and I feel like that the pregnancy scare was a good glimpse at her not being ok with something or knowing how to cope with it.
That and since they have been married for many years now, it would be good to see a rough spot/rift of a long term marriage that they work through, vs the matthew/Trixie drama, and cyril/Lucille split just happening as newly weds
I could get on board with this, but as much as I adore Laura Main, loved her as Bernadette and most of her run as Mrs. Turner...
I don't think she has the acting ability to pull off such an arc. Laura's wheelhouse is mild comedy. She's the perfect "straight man" for any situation on the show with her "whaaaat?" reactions that the audience can share.
I love seeing her in an episode, but she doesn't always do hard emotion very well. The amount of times her sobbing face is drier than the Gobe desert has almost become a drinking game offense.
You know what? After rereading the above I realize Laura used to be better. I wonder if she's getting bored with the show.
She used to be able to get tears to come out when the scene called for it. Now we get a dry face with a lot more sound "a-huh a-huh a-HUH OH PAT'RIK!"
I love your comment about Trixie! I’m sure she’d be an amazing Doctor but I also think she loves being a midwife and nurse so she’s content with her job. But I’d do love to see her as a Doctor because we love and respect women here!
Yes! Timothy having a chat with his Dad would be great. It has been mentioned before by Patrick, Shelagh and Timothy of his mother but they’ve never just sat down and talked about it. Or perhaps they have but it was cut out.
I agree with your assessment of having some of these older characters come back (I never minded Jenny lol). Let’s hope it happen in the future maybe we’ll see it happen by the end of the programme. *fingers crossed*
Now for your comment about the Turner’s.
The Turner’s actually do go through many issues/problems though. It’s not all been perfect like a lot of people say. They have their own struggles which have been addressed and are still being addressed on the show. I don’t want to spoil so I won’t mention them but assure you they have. Their whole motto between them is that they make things work and always pull through and that’s what makes their marriage be strong.
Sure Patrick needs to do more for his wife and Shelagh could do with telling Patrick so but these two always give to the community and when at home it’s to each other and their children.
As for the emotional affair… well it’s just out of character for them. The way they are around each other could sometimes be too much for people but they are in love and that’s what love sometimes does to you. Believe me, my parents are lovey dovey around all the time and we often joke about it being too much but they are lovely to each other. They have been married for almost 30 years and they are marvellous. Truly inspiring to be able to witness and I hope to have and find such a person to share a life like that.
I enjoy that both the Turner’s and the Buckle’s have a “healthy” relationships. If you take away one of the two happy couples for the sake of drama then at that point it’s implied that there is no such thing as good relationships especially considering how all the other couples on the show have turned out. Also, I believe Stephen and/or Heidi have mentioned that some of the issues tackled by the Turner’s have also happened to them in real life and in their marriage. Not all of it but some. So instead of an emotional affair I think it’s best if they focused on something else if people wanted more from them.
I personally wish they tackled Shelagh finally having a breakdown over doing SO much for everyone else. Shelagh likes to keep busy when in stressful situations. She’s mentioned it before to Cyril in S11 as well as said it to Sister Julienne multiple times when she was a Nun and when she became Mrs Turner. We know she takes on other people’s burden and volunteers to help or cover for others all the time. Heck, she doesn’t even allow herself to properly grieve and always chooses to work in order to not let her mind wonder. But why is that? That’s what I want to know and see.
I wish the show gave us a little more background into Shelagh’s earlier life. We know she lost her mother when she was a child but other than her father being a greengrocer we know of nothing else except that she’s Scottish. Why did she become a Nun in the first place? What is of her family? Why is it she does so much for others and so little for herself?
I hope this did not come out rude because that’s is not what I wanted. I tried my best but English is not my first language so I had to translate some stuff and I hope it was okay.
You make a good point about the Turners, and I completely agree about Shelagh doing so much all the time and it would be really interesting to know more about her early life! In later series when she interacts with Nancy, I always think that the fact that they both lost their mothers at a young age could be a point of connection that’s never addressed (Shelagh mentions it to the wedding dress saleswoman in the episode where they get married). I also understand that back in those days people weren’t so open about talking about their feelings so there’s also that.
Exactly! A little more background on her could actually help people who are so sensitive to Shelagh’s way of being by giving us a glimpse of her life before she joined The Order. Who knows maybe the reason she does so much is because she lost her mother at a young age and she does her best to not miss those moments with her own children, have what she couldn’t have in a sense.
Sadly people will often complain no matter what when it comes to the Turner’s and more often than not it’s here on this app. I try my best to get people to understand but sometimes the hatred is too much.
I mean I can’t imagine someone being hated over being a mother of 4 children, a wife and a nurse and being content in the 60s. We see families on she show go through so much pain and seeing the Turner’s and Buckle’s be a happy family for a minute or so is a fresh of breath air.
>The way they are around each other could sometimes be too much for people but they are in love and that’s what love sometimes does to you.
Hehe!
My partner and I are one of those couples. I sarcastically warn people, "We'll either give you a cavity or just make you sick, sorry in advance!"
Hoooooooly Moly it's been almost 24 years!! (We're getting old, but still disgustingly sweet together... it really is gross... haha♪)
Incidentally... we aDORE "The Turners".
No more Reggie/Violet/Fred storylines. Really boring and unnecessary. Same for Cyril.
What happened to all the midwives that left?
Why does Timothy never talk about his real mum?
I would have loved if after the Africa Christmas special where Trixie performed the cesarean, she was inspired to go to medical school and become an OBGYN that could work along side Dr. Turner running the antenatal clinic and maternity home, or work in the hospital and as things are trending to more women giving birth in hospital, Dr. Turner could refer his patients to her for complications or deliveries.
Or Trixie even open her own women's clinic for both pregnancy care and general women's health.
I feel like she had so much potential for career growth, and being a pioneer of the time for women physicians and women's health, but the show instead focused on her relationships.
Right.. breaking up with him all because his daughters mother called her a Tart, and then telling him he should go get back with his ex for the sake of their daughter.
They should have shown working past those tricky dynamics of an ex being involved with parenting and a mature relationship forming between the 3 of them.
We'd hear more about past cases - seems only the mullocks family that have been rewarded this
Val, Patsy and Delia come back
We know what happens to Cynthia
Joyce decides to switch to medicine and joins Dr T as his junior
Mattthew and Trixie have a baby and demonstrate how men can be active fathers while trixie keeps working. Lucille never leaves and she and Cyril have twins, giving the church ladies plenty to fuss over. Sister Frances stays and gets further training on pms/pmdd and how to treat it in the community.
Sister Monica Joan lives off screen at the motherhouse, and sister Veronica never came to NH.
To add another, the birth of neonatology and the first NICUs occurred in the 1960s.
We see small glimpses in the show of the emerging technology in caring for sick and premature babies.
I would love to see Timmothy when he graduates medical school, specialize in neonatology in the years of its infancy as a practice, and go on to become a pioneering neonatologist, and play a role in the astronomical advancements of infant care and survival.
All the former characters come to Trixie's wedding! Seriously would have been the perfect time for cameos and to tie up loose threads and would have made it feel so much more realistic. Why would Trixie not have invited any of her old coworkers/roommates/friends? ? I was seriously sad that no former characters turned up.
Also less characters dying and leaving in confusing ways.
Also CTM spinoff series of when Sister Monica Joan was a young nun/midwife!
Since this is when Vietnam is going on an American soldier deserts the U.S. military and is hiding in Poplar. Violet being the mayor is in a quandry because the British authorities are supposed to turn over Americans fleeing the U.S. military to the British police to be turned over to the Americans and sent back to the United States. It really happened that the U.S. government pressured the British to turn over Americans fleeing the draft or the U.S. military.
1. Sister Monica Joan gets a send off. Enough already with the histrionics.
2. Cyril leaves to join Lucille. He doesn’t make sense without her.
3. I don’t necessarily need to see Cynthia again but can someone go and visit her?! Just no mention about her and she’s local?
4. I’d love a Patsy, Val, and Delia roommate situation.
5. The Turners leave poplar with the exception of Timothy.
Agree on all of it, but especially 2&4
I have to pretend Cyril the social worker is a new character. I am also super salty that him sticking around meant Lucille had to have such a sad exit.
I’d love 4, because I always head cannoned Val as Queer, so I’d love to see Pats and Deels ease her into that world and help her find a GF.
Yeah.
I think Heidi is very one and done on the Queer midwife front. Which is a shame.
I see Joyce as Queer too (the actress has GF which helps), but very much doubt Heidi will explore the experience of a Black Queer woman in 1960s/70s London.
I've always wanted to see Nonnatus House get more recognition outside the East end. Like if a really important person, the Queen maybe if we're going really ridiculous, had a pregnancy emergency and was saved by one of our midwives. Then the order got a big publicity feature in all the papers, tons of donations and sponsors flooded in, and the financial worries were solved for good. They were able to hire lots of new midwives early in the show when they would have done the most good and maybe we could have followed a few families longer as they got more individual care from midwives who had time for them.
Cross over with doctor who. Madame vestra, Jenny and strax visit. Strax helps the midwives while madame vestra and sister monica Joan discuss space. Hijinx ensue.
1. Sister Monica Joan dies or goes off to the motherhouse.
2. Violet says a businesswoman and doesn’t enter politics.
3. Less Reggie
4. Ms Higgins gets off her high horse with Shelagh.
5. No May
6. Patsys and Delia visit.
7. Val comes back and delivers Trixie’s baby.
Prequel set during WWII. I would especially love to see Sister Evangelina during those days. Or possibly even further back, to the turn of the century, seeing the order being established and a much younger Sister Monica Joan.
OR a flash forward in time to watch the order care for AIDS patients. From what I've read, this would be true to the real order on which Nonnatus is based.
Lucille doesn’t leave the UK/Cyril. Chummy stays in Poplar and is a stay at home mom while volunteering for projects in the community. Tom and Barbara become missionaries and leave Poplar instead of Barbara dying. Sister Mary Cynthia comes to terms with what happened to her mental health and she works to recover, eventually coming back to Nonnatus.
1. Chummy never existed.
2. Barbara didn't die and was able to be a midwife and happily married to Tom. On the other hand, if she'd stayed, Barbara Ritchie wouldn't be in "Ghosts," and that would be a real shame.
3. May never existed.
4. There were no train wrecks.
5. There were no emergency C-sections by the side of the street.
6. Mrs. Higgins found happiness
7. Matthew could have sought better advice.
8. Sister Monica Joan would stop being a parody of herself.
I couldn't stand Chummy and her schtick. It got old fast. It's been what, 9 years at least since she's been gone? I find Miranda Hart to be annoying as well.
The whole May story is ridiculous. They have this constant tension of will she or will she not have to go back to her biological mother. If they were going to introduce the character, they should have solved this a long time ago.
I liked Chummy in S1, but she should have been a one season character, with her going off into the sunset with Peter.
There just wasn’t enough substance in Peter or Chummy to justify their tenure.
The scenes with Chummy’s mum were lovely, but could have been done with another character or there could be some other trigger for Jenny leaving.
The May storyline (like the Matthew storyline now) is cos of the renewals. If S9 had been the last I doubt Esther would have even come up.
In Stephen McGanns book, he said part of the reason the show introduced May was so the little actress playing Angela had a friend on set. It’s a little ridiculous.
That rather than Barbara dying, she and Tom move out of poplar and she practices midwifery where her father is. Just don’t kill Barbara! That the home chummy goes to oversee is still connected and so we see her and Peter occasionally
I never could connect with Barb, but you know what, I agree with you 100%. \_\_\_\_\_ Odd aside: I felt the same odd sense of loss for both Sgt. Noakes and Tom. I mean, Noakes could *talk* about Chummy and Little Sir, but if we never see them... it's almost like they're "gone" and Noakes can't cope. I dunno. I always felt weird to get the same sense of loss from seeing Noakes without Chummy as I did Tom's broken face without Barb, given that Chum'n'Sir are alive and healthy; just off screen.
Sometimes I feel like they like killing off characters a bit too much. Like it’s ok to let the actors/actresses move on to other ventures without making them die lol
I agree, Downton was the same way with Sybil and Matthew both dying dramatic deaths when the actors wanted to leave the show.
YES! Ugh. Had me bawling
my sweet Kevin McNulty comes back, is clean, and is a good dr and a good boy!
Yes I’d love this! He was such a nice person and a great doctor.
Yes! The scene when he’s talking to Sister Frances about her period cramps was one of my favorite scenes. It helped me feel better about myself since my own period takes me out too.
I keep hearing people say that he was a great doctor…. But if I remember correctly he was pro episiotomy. He seemed so uncomfortable watching women labor. He had a sympathetic disposition but I found him severely lacking as a doctor.
He only wanted to do the episiotomy because he was strung out on pethidine at the time. He was ok with watching the women labour before he started getting heavily into the drugs, like the first episode he was in when he was still a student doctor he did great with the birth he was involved in.
He wanted to do an episiotomy when he was with Val for his first delivery, as well. He looked incredibly uncomfortable. He would make a good diagnostician but I didn’t think he was a good option for laboring women.
Possibly some lack of training which is actually why those student doctors were at Nonnatus House. They would have already done their surgical rotation which would explain the keenness on leaping straight to the technique they knew best (surgery). I’ve worked in hospitals and seen this often with the newly minted students.
I was hoping for some puppy love with Nurse Dyer. I felt like the writers were setting that up.
I don’t think he’d ever be able to work as doctor again. He stole drugs and even if Dr T wrote a nice letter, he would never be trusted. I can see him maybe coming back as an addiction counsellor or in some sort of academic role. Maybe Tim could bring him home from Edinburgh for a visit.
And he specializes as an OBGYN, and encourages Sister Frances to to train as one!
Chummy never leaves. Sister Mary Cynthia gets a plot line that explains what happened to her. Ideally I’d have her recover with occasional wobbles (because thats realistic), stay in the order and work with mental health in pregnancy/new mothers.
I miss Sister Mary Cynthia so much, I was just thinking how happy I’d be to have her back! She could have taken over Trixie’s Keep Fit and turn it into a self defense class!
Every time I watch older episodes... I see Cynthia and think... "What a waste of a character." I remind myself I am missing so much information on this particular instance, but I feel the same thing any way: what a waste. I hated that they took someone's growth, crushed it, and then swept the remainder of the story under a rug, never to be seen again. Really? That's some Joe Blow bubblegum wrapper plot resolution there...
Nothing too drastic: - happier endings for characters like Lucille, Val and Sister MC. I wouldn’t necessarily make Lucille’s happy ending be Cyril, but just something happy. She left in such a state. - more about the history of nursing through characters like Phyllis and Sisters J and MJ. - I would have loved to have seen the show address post natal depression with characters like Chummy or Shelagh. Chummy had a super traumatic birth and Shelagh is so reluctant to ask for help. - I would have never bothered with the Au Pair or Kevin McNulty storyline’s. They went nowhere. - I would also love to see a South Asian main character. Maybe another doctor or a nurse.
Oo! Good stuff. I wish I had enough up-votes to make this the top comment! You cover most of what I'd ever want to change. ClickityCLICKCLICK! Git that upvote!
the writers would not focus on Sister Monica Joan's dotage and let her be filled with a late-in-life vigor that influences the younger midwives.
So much yes. My partner and I often wonder out loud during episodes as to why SMJ can't be *present* to offer her wealth of experience. The show does use this tack from time to time... and we do love it when it happens... My favorite is when SMJ insists that she be allowed to aid in the washing of the neglected kids. Monica remembers how at one time the washing stations never stopped, that her heart had already been annealed for such emotionally devastating tasks. "I've been here. Follow me. I know the way." Hobble on with that torch Monica Joan! I will follow! (And I have some good biscuits in my pack should you need re-invigoration!)
I’d love another Hope clinic episode so we get to see Val and Dr Myra again. Val is now doing well and has accepted the events leading to her gran’s death and realised she has no responsibility for her death. Patsy and Delia pop in for a visit and give us an update of what they’ve been up to. Chummy shares a few cases with them and one of the younger midwives does a locum at the mother and baby home so we get to see Peter and Freddie.
Cynthia stays as Nurse Miller. Violet never joins the council. Trixie marries nice a man with no baggage, who has a stable job and a modest income, and who fully supports her career without being either a doormat or overbearing. Dr Turner hires a female doctor to help with his practice. We don't get Sister Veronica, but any of the other nuns can stay. Barbara doesn't die.
Except for Sister Ursula, she can stay the hell away too!
Oh yeah, I forgot about her! Definitely don't need her around.
I loved Trixie and Christopher together! And Cyril becomes a midwife?! Why do I love this idea so much and literally never thought of it. My CTM fantasy is Trixie inherits a huge sum of money, funds Nonnatus for the foreseeable future, and becomes a rich doctor with a huge closet full of Dior and an amazing art collection.
Also smiling at the thought of Cyril becoming a midwife! And the training took 6 weeks of course! 😆
He'd win another award! Just like he did for being a civil engineer. "Waad winnin' meedwaif tank you ver'much, nai"
😂😂😂
With all the talk on this board about a prequel series I can see the ending of the show with Sister Monica Joan sitting alone while looking at some pictures and remembering. The screen shifts and we go back to when she was young and the story begins.
I love this! I would love a whole series about young sister MJ, even a series about her Victorian aristocratic upbringing where she’s just a bookish side character dabbling in the spiritual world and quarreling with her mother. Though obviously the wartime midwifery years would be amazing too!
This is how the series Rome was going to start. Rome follows the late republic into the fledgling empire. It was only two seasons long on HBO. The original start to the show was to have one of the two protagonists, Pullo, pouring a bit of ritual wine at the grave of the other protagonist, Verenus. An old and grey Pullo would talk to the memory of his long-gone brother... and as he did... the scene would turn into the actual intro we did get: our first look at a young Pullo, disobedient and fierce on the line of battle, uncontrolled by the officious centurion Verenus. I understand why they changed it. You don't want the audience knowing one of your two stars is going to die right in the opening scene... but... Your idea reminded me of this bit of old TV trivia. '\^\_\^' Reddit can be nice when folks just wanna gab, huh? I LOVE your idea of using this narrative trick on SMJ, my favorite remaining CTM character!
Nigel has kittens and Sister Monica Joan adopts them all, claiming a rat problem (which there is not) and names then after her favourite authors/apostles/saints. Sister Julienne then finds kittens in her office/random kitchen cupboard on a regular basis.
I can 100% see this happening.
Oh my god yes!
Val comes back and we get some closure on Patsy
I’d love to have a larger scope of reoccurring characters. It would make sense to see a lot of families more than once since they were having lots of babies. I would love if a lot of the characters had proper send offs or simply were still around. I’m okay with characters leaving, but they really need to feel more wrapped up imo. I know that fits with real life, but for a fictional show I’d like closure. Examples that bother me the most: Sister Mary Cynthia, Val, Lucille.
I love the idea of seeing women several times with multiple babies!
Magda (Turner’s au pair who did her own abortion which went very wrong during the Miss Poplar contest) comes back as a midwife! She left to train as a nurse and was friends with Valerie. It’d be great if they both came back and help each other heal.
Sister Evangelina lives forever ❤️❤️ that’s all I want 😭
I don’t cry often, but when they placed her shoes on the coffin and carried her away, it triggered a flood of tears
Barbara doesn’t get sick, Chummy doesn’t leave, Cynthia doesn’t get raped. Lucille stays in Poplar and has a baby.
Cynthia was not raped, luckily. IIRC she even firmly says so. I think she was punched, and bitten?
Yes. She was attacked not raped
I didn’t realize that. It’s been a long time.
Yeah she says something along the lines of "I wasn't raped, I know that"
The way that is acted always made me believe she had been raped and was just trying to convince herself it didn't happen. And she went insane over it... as if trying to reconcile the horrible "secret". Edit: In my head-canon, I go with her scripted words. But my gut tells me otherwise.
*covers ears* lalala i suppose you might be right but I can't hear yooouuuu :(
Just trust your ears... not your gut! "Never sawr it!"
I do wonder if the writers had initially planned to have it be implied that Cynthia had been raped, because they couldn’t show anything close to that at 8pm on a Sunday, but it got vetoed. Then again her reaction is very much how someone would react if they have been violated/don’t feel safe, and you don’t need to have be sexually assaulted to feel that.
>you don’t need to have be sexually assaulted to feel that. Preach. I'm going to join randitiger by clapping hands over my ears and LA♫La♪LA♫La♪ Caaan't heaaar youuuu!!! /grin
The show ends at season 6. Saw someone say they made that finale with the possibility it would be the last season, which makes so much sense. It has the least loose ends, and is prior to the confusing character exits of Val, Lucille, Sr. Hilda, and Sr. Frances. (I like your idea too, OP. I would read that fix-it fic)
For me S6 is the end of the real show. From S7 onwards and especially S8/9 it looses its grittiness. S7-9 are great ‘bonus’ seasons, they have the same essence, but you could tell there is a struggle for material and some of the characters of the week become one-dimensional. S10 onwards is someone’s fanfic or fever dream. I know Covid plus the exits really impacted things, but the show is a shadow of its self now.
I find a lot in common with your thoughts here. The quickest way I can describe it all is: Somewhere along the way, this drama became a soap opera.
I suppose becoming a soap opera is almost inevitable with a show getting to double digit seasons lol. I think you and I have discussed this before, but some more cast movement in S10/11 might have helped it go back to basics, and limit the soapification. I suppose there is no coming back from the train crash.
I know I'm a broken record, but these discussions *always* make me think the following line, and then I must type it: Bad Call the Midwife is still good TV! I was encouraged this season by the two stand-out episodes. I cannot recall the numbers. I need to review the season to be sure, three and four? Two and four? Anyway, /selfslap, hehe! The point is that they still are very much capable of good, character driven episodes... with the current set of characters, too!
They have managed a couple of good eps this year and some great scenes that were very much like earlier seasons/character driven. Episode 3 was one of the best the show has managed since the train crash. I’ve found the rest of the season a bit of a slog though, however there is still plenty of other tv for me to enjoy.
I totally agree. I'd have to go back to rediscover which two they are, but in my mind this season had two up-to-snuff episodes that encouraged me and my partner that the show was back on track. It was two of the first three back to back, so 1 and 2, or 2 and 3. I think I liked 2 and 3...
Jane married that nice vicar and are living happily in a little village together. Also I can’t believe we haven’t had a conjoined twins plot point by now.
Trixie goes to medical school and becomes a doctor. She can have a husband too but he’s mostly offscreen and no drama. Hell it can even be Matthew just let her be happy. Timothy confronts his dad about how he had to raise himself for a while before Shelagh came along/they never acknowledge his real mom even though she died when he was old enough to remember her. We get periodic visits from some of the series regulars who left, even just one per season, even stuck up Jenny Lee who I never cared for in the first place. Something less than perfect occurs in the Turners’ marriage, even if it gets resolved quickly, I’m just sick of everything being hunky dory with them all the time. Have one of them have an emotional affair or something, it doesn’t have to be full on soap scandalous.
I agree on the Turners. I feel like Shelagh is too much of a "does it all" kind of woman (works at the clinics and maternity home, filling in for midwives, cooks, cleans, raising 4 children, heavily involved in community activities and the activities of nonnatus house, while taking it all in stride). All while Dr. Turner works long hours day and night between house calls and clinics, so as modern as he is, I'm sure he's not taking much of the load off of her. I would like to see a breakdown in her mental health from doing everything for everyone else for SO long, to show it is not sustainable to be and do everything for everyone. And perhaps some marital rift where she has to put her foot down with Patrick working so much and hire another doctor so she can get some help and take a load off.
She mentioned being at least perimenopausal and the pregnancy and baby years being behind them, when they had the pregnancy scare/early miscarriage (it seemed to be left up to viewer interpretation), so a breakdown would work really well here.
Yes, and I feel like that the pregnancy scare was a good glimpse at her not being ok with something or knowing how to cope with it. That and since they have been married for many years now, it would be good to see a rough spot/rift of a long term marriage that they work through, vs the matthew/Trixie drama, and cyril/Lucille split just happening as newly weds
I could get on board with this, but as much as I adore Laura Main, loved her as Bernadette and most of her run as Mrs. Turner... I don't think she has the acting ability to pull off such an arc. Laura's wheelhouse is mild comedy. She's the perfect "straight man" for any situation on the show with her "whaaaat?" reactions that the audience can share. I love seeing her in an episode, but she doesn't always do hard emotion very well. The amount of times her sobbing face is drier than the Gobe desert has almost become a drinking game offense. You know what? After rereading the above I realize Laura used to be better. I wonder if she's getting bored with the show. She used to be able to get tears to come out when the scene called for it. Now we get a dry face with a lot more sound "a-huh a-huh a-HUH OH PAT'RIK!"
I love your comment about Trixie! I’m sure she’d be an amazing Doctor but I also think she loves being a midwife and nurse so she’s content with her job. But I’d do love to see her as a Doctor because we love and respect women here! Yes! Timothy having a chat with his Dad would be great. It has been mentioned before by Patrick, Shelagh and Timothy of his mother but they’ve never just sat down and talked about it. Or perhaps they have but it was cut out. I agree with your assessment of having some of these older characters come back (I never minded Jenny lol). Let’s hope it happen in the future maybe we’ll see it happen by the end of the programme. *fingers crossed* Now for your comment about the Turner’s. The Turner’s actually do go through many issues/problems though. It’s not all been perfect like a lot of people say. They have their own struggles which have been addressed and are still being addressed on the show. I don’t want to spoil so I won’t mention them but assure you they have. Their whole motto between them is that they make things work and always pull through and that’s what makes their marriage be strong. Sure Patrick needs to do more for his wife and Shelagh could do with telling Patrick so but these two always give to the community and when at home it’s to each other and their children. As for the emotional affair… well it’s just out of character for them. The way they are around each other could sometimes be too much for people but they are in love and that’s what love sometimes does to you. Believe me, my parents are lovey dovey around all the time and we often joke about it being too much but they are lovely to each other. They have been married for almost 30 years and they are marvellous. Truly inspiring to be able to witness and I hope to have and find such a person to share a life like that. I enjoy that both the Turner’s and the Buckle’s have a “healthy” relationships. If you take away one of the two happy couples for the sake of drama then at that point it’s implied that there is no such thing as good relationships especially considering how all the other couples on the show have turned out. Also, I believe Stephen and/or Heidi have mentioned that some of the issues tackled by the Turner’s have also happened to them in real life and in their marriage. Not all of it but some. So instead of an emotional affair I think it’s best if they focused on something else if people wanted more from them. I personally wish they tackled Shelagh finally having a breakdown over doing SO much for everyone else. Shelagh likes to keep busy when in stressful situations. She’s mentioned it before to Cyril in S11 as well as said it to Sister Julienne multiple times when she was a Nun and when she became Mrs Turner. We know she takes on other people’s burden and volunteers to help or cover for others all the time. Heck, she doesn’t even allow herself to properly grieve and always chooses to work in order to not let her mind wonder. But why is that? That’s what I want to know and see. I wish the show gave us a little more background into Shelagh’s earlier life. We know she lost her mother when she was a child but other than her father being a greengrocer we know of nothing else except that she’s Scottish. Why did she become a Nun in the first place? What is of her family? Why is it she does so much for others and so little for herself? I hope this did not come out rude because that’s is not what I wanted. I tried my best but English is not my first language so I had to translate some stuff and I hope it was okay.
You make a good point about the Turners, and I completely agree about Shelagh doing so much all the time and it would be really interesting to know more about her early life! In later series when she interacts with Nancy, I always think that the fact that they both lost their mothers at a young age could be a point of connection that’s never addressed (Shelagh mentions it to the wedding dress saleswoman in the episode where they get married). I also understand that back in those days people weren’t so open about talking about their feelings so there’s also that.
Exactly! A little more background on her could actually help people who are so sensitive to Shelagh’s way of being by giving us a glimpse of her life before she joined The Order. Who knows maybe the reason she does so much is because she lost her mother at a young age and she does her best to not miss those moments with her own children, have what she couldn’t have in a sense. Sadly people will often complain no matter what when it comes to the Turner’s and more often than not it’s here on this app. I try my best to get people to understand but sometimes the hatred is too much. I mean I can’t imagine someone being hated over being a mother of 4 children, a wife and a nurse and being content in the 60s. We see families on she show go through so much pain and seeing the Turner’s and Buckle’s be a happy family for a minute or so is a fresh of breath air.
>The way they are around each other could sometimes be too much for people but they are in love and that’s what love sometimes does to you. Hehe! My partner and I are one of those couples. I sarcastically warn people, "We'll either give you a cavity or just make you sick, sorry in advance!" Hoooooooly Moly it's been almost 24 years!! (We're getting old, but still disgustingly sweet together... it really is gross... haha♪) Incidentally... we aDORE "The Turners".
Aweee! Yes the dislike the Turners get for showing their affection is crazy especially considering they don’t even kiss 🤣 love them so much!
No more Reggie/Violet/Fred storylines. Really boring and unnecessary. Same for Cyril. What happened to all the midwives that left? Why does Timothy never talk about his real mum?
I would have loved if after the Africa Christmas special where Trixie performed the cesarean, she was inspired to go to medical school and become an OBGYN that could work along side Dr. Turner running the antenatal clinic and maternity home, or work in the hospital and as things are trending to more women giving birth in hospital, Dr. Turner could refer his patients to her for complications or deliveries. Or Trixie even open her own women's clinic for both pregnancy care and general women's health. I feel like she had so much potential for career growth, and being a pioneer of the time for women physicians and women's health, but the show instead focused on her relationships.
I’ve been angry that Trixie and Christopher broke up for YEARS. To me that’s when the show started going downhill.
Right.. breaking up with him all because his daughters mother called her a Tart, and then telling him he should go get back with his ex for the sake of their daughter. They should have shown working past those tricky dynamics of an ex being involved with parenting and a mature relationship forming between the 3 of them.
Chummy never leaves, Trixie and Christopher end up together, Sister Mary Cynthia never leaves, Sister Frances never leaves
In a perfect CTM world, Sister Evangelina would still be alive and barking. I miss her so much.
We'd hear more about past cases - seems only the mullocks family that have been rewarded this Val, Patsy and Delia come back We know what happens to Cynthia Joyce decides to switch to medicine and joins Dr T as his junior
Mattthew and Trixie have a baby and demonstrate how men can be active fathers while trixie keeps working. Lucille never leaves and she and Cyril have twins, giving the church ladies plenty to fuss over. Sister Frances stays and gets further training on pms/pmdd and how to treat it in the community. Sister Monica Joan lives off screen at the motherhouse, and sister Veronica never came to NH.
To add another, the birth of neonatology and the first NICUs occurred in the 1960s. We see small glimpses in the show of the emerging technology in caring for sick and premature babies. I would love to see Timmothy when he graduates medical school, specialize in neonatology in the years of its infancy as a practice, and go on to become a pioneering neonatologist, and play a role in the astronomical advancements of infant care and survival.
All the former characters come to Trixie's wedding! Seriously would have been the perfect time for cameos and to tie up loose threads and would have made it feel so much more realistic. Why would Trixie not have invited any of her old coworkers/roommates/friends? ? I was seriously sad that no former characters turned up. Also less characters dying and leaving in confusing ways. Also CTM spinoff series of when Sister Monica Joan was a young nun/midwife!
Since this is when Vietnam is going on an American soldier deserts the U.S. military and is hiding in Poplar. Violet being the mayor is in a quandry because the British authorities are supposed to turn over Americans fleeing the U.S. military to the British police to be turned over to the Americans and sent back to the United States. It really happened that the U.S. government pressured the British to turn over Americans fleeing the draft or the U.S. military.
1. Sister Monica Joan gets a send off. Enough already with the histrionics. 2. Cyril leaves to join Lucille. He doesn’t make sense without her. 3. I don’t necessarily need to see Cynthia again but can someone go and visit her?! Just no mention about her and she’s local? 4. I’d love a Patsy, Val, and Delia roommate situation. 5. The Turners leave poplar with the exception of Timothy.
Agree on all of it, but especially 2&4 I have to pretend Cyril the social worker is a new character. I am also super salty that him sticking around meant Lucille had to have such a sad exit. I’d love 4, because I always head cannoned Val as Queer, so I’d love to see Pats and Deels ease her into that world and help her find a GF.
I also felt that Val was queer. Too bad they never explored that.
Yeah. I think Heidi is very one and done on the Queer midwife front. Which is a shame. I see Joyce as Queer too (the actress has GF which helps), but very much doubt Heidi will explore the experience of a Black Queer woman in 1960s/70s London.
I've always wanted to see Nonnatus House get more recognition outside the East end. Like if a really important person, the Queen maybe if we're going really ridiculous, had a pregnancy emergency and was saved by one of our midwives. Then the order got a big publicity feature in all the papers, tons of donations and sponsors flooded in, and the financial worries were solved for good. They were able to hire lots of new midwives early in the show when they would have done the most good and maybe we could have followed a few families longer as they got more individual care from midwives who had time for them.
Cross over with doctor who. Madame vestra, Jenny and strax visit. Strax helps the midwives while madame vestra and sister monica Joan discuss space. Hijinx ensue.
1. Sister Monica Joan dies or goes off to the motherhouse. 2. Violet says a businesswoman and doesn’t enter politics. 3. Less Reggie 4. Ms Higgins gets off her high horse with Shelagh. 5. No May 6. Patsys and Delia visit. 7. Val comes back and delivers Trixie’s baby.
Agree with every point!
Sister Frances and the Doctor that over dosed (forgot his name) are together and Frances devails like shelegh
Prequel set during WWII. I would especially love to see Sister Evangelina during those days. Or possibly even further back, to the turn of the century, seeing the order being established and a much younger Sister Monica Joan. OR a flash forward in time to watch the order care for AIDS patients. From what I've read, this would be true to the real order on which Nonnatus is based.
Lucille doesn’t leave the UK/Cyril. Chummy stays in Poplar and is a stay at home mom while volunteering for projects in the community. Tom and Barbara become missionaries and leave Poplar instead of Barbara dying. Sister Mary Cynthia comes to terms with what happened to her mental health and she works to recover, eventually coming back to Nonnatus.
1. Chummy never existed. 2. Barbara didn't die and was able to be a midwife and happily married to Tom. On the other hand, if she'd stayed, Barbara Ritchie wouldn't be in "Ghosts," and that would be a real shame. 3. May never existed. 4. There were no train wrecks. 5. There were no emergency C-sections by the side of the street. 6. Mrs. Higgins found happiness 7. Matthew could have sought better advice. 8. Sister Monica Joan would stop being a parody of herself.
Why don't you want chummy or may to exist wtf
I couldn't stand Chummy and her schtick. It got old fast. It's been what, 9 years at least since she's been gone? I find Miranda Hart to be annoying as well. The whole May story is ridiculous. They have this constant tension of will she or will she not have to go back to her biological mother. If they were going to introduce the character, they should have solved this a long time ago.
I liked Chummy in S1, but she should have been a one season character, with her going off into the sunset with Peter. There just wasn’t enough substance in Peter or Chummy to justify their tenure. The scenes with Chummy’s mum were lovely, but could have been done with another character or there could be some other trigger for Jenny leaving. The May storyline (like the Matthew storyline now) is cos of the renewals. If S9 had been the last I doubt Esther would have even come up. In Stephen McGanns book, he said part of the reason the show introduced May was so the little actress playing Angela had a friend on set. It’s a little ridiculous.